Seafood Expo Global 2026: Indonesia Tuna Fisheries Building Equity and Protecting Ocean Health

The Seafood Expo Global 2026 in Barcelona provided the Indonesian tuna sector with a powerful global stage.

Hosted by the Indonesia Tuna Consortium, the From the Community to Consumer seminar featured five key presenters including AP2HI, Fair Trade USA, MDPI, IPNLF, and the Ministry of Trade of Indonesia. Together, they presented a compelling, bold vision that a tuna industry is not only sustainable, but fair, traceable, and fiercely anchored in the well-being of local fishing communities.

Indonesia, the World’s Largest Tuna Producer

Indonesia is the world’s largest tuna producer, accounting for at least 15% of global tuna output. Yet, despite this scale, Indonesia is not among the top exporters of tuna. There is a gap linked to large domestic demand and the country’s long standing image as a “cheap and high volume” supplier.

To shift from volume‑driven to value‑driven is the goal. 

As Abrizal Andrew Ang, Chairman of AP2HI, put that

“Indonesia is on a mission to find markets ready to pay for the true cost of healthy oceans including low‑bycatch, fair fisher livelihoods, and fully traceable supply chains”

AP2HI Profile

AP2HI is the Indonesian Pole & Line and Handline Fisheries Association, representing a network of small‑scale, traditional tuna fisheries that form the backbone of Indonesia’s tuna sector.

AP2HI’s members have exported over 57,000 tons of MSC certified tuna, sourced from around 20,000 traditional coastal fishers across Indonesia’s 17,000 islands.

These fisheries are not “just” suppliers of protein:

• When buyers choose Indonesian pole‑and‑line tuna, they also support school fees for fishers children, better gear, and non‑destructive fishing methods that protect sharks and other ETP species.
• AP2HI’s 69 members collectively represent almost half of Indonesia’s seafood exports, amplifying the sector’s strategic importance in global trade.

A Decade of Trust, From Certification to Digital Systems

For over ten years, AP2HI has led Indonesia’s small‑scale tuna fisheries through a dual transformation, eco label certification, and digital innovation.
The key milestones include:

• Achieving Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for multiple pole‑and‑line and handline fisheries.
• Adding FairTrade certification, making Indonesia the first and currently only country in the world with both MSC and FairTrade certification for pole‑and‑line tuna fisheries.

Beyond certification, AP2HI has built a system of trust:

• Fully traceable supply chains, from sea to port to and to export.
• An improved cold‑chain infrastructure to maintain product quality with partners.
• A jointly developed traceability monitoring system that has passed external Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) assessment, reinforcing market confidence in Indonesia’s readiness to serve global demand.

As Abrizal emphasized that

“Trust is no longer a promise, it’s a system.”

The Hidden Cost of Sustainability

One of the most challenging points raised in the session was the real cost of pole and line and handline fishing.

Abrizal explained that:

• Sustainable, low‑bycatch pole and handline methods are 40-70% more expensive per kilogram than industrial purse seine operations.
• If it costs 1 USD per kg to catch tuna with purse‑seine nets, the same tuna caught with pole‑and‑line may require 1.4 – 1.7 USD per kg due to higher labor, fuel, and operational effort.

Yet, in many markets, sustainably caught tuna is still priced at the same level as industrial tuna. This creates an unfair secret in the market that buyers want MSC, FairTrade, low carbon, and no forced labor, but balk when asked to pay the extra cost of achieving those standards.

This valuable tuna is a call for honest pricing that rewards selective fishing, healthier oceans, and better fisher livelihoods. Because we want to move beyond volume discounts by building multi‑year contracts, co‑investment structures, and co‑branding stories that connect consumers directly to Indonesian tuna fishers.

“Protecting ocean health is not a cost. It’s an investment in supply‑chain resilience, brand reputation, and long‑term seafood security.”

Indonesia has the fish, the fishers, the certifications, and the digital infrastructure. 

What is now needed is a market ready to assign true value to sustainable tuna.

This article was adapted and compiled by the AP2HI Communication Team from the original speech delivered by Abrizal Andrew Ang, Chairman of AP2HI, during the Seafood Expo Global 2026 in Barcelona, Spain

Contact:

• AP2HI Secretariat
  Email: info@ap2hi.org
  Website: www.ap2hi.org